have a specific behavioral issue they wish to address and whose goals for therapy are to
gain insight into the past may be better served by psychodynamic therapy. Patients who
undergo CBT must also be willing to take a very active role in the treatment process.
Cognitive-behavioral intervention may be inappropriate for some severely psychotic
patients and for cognitively impaired patients (for example, patients with organic brain
disease or a traumatic brain injury), depending on their level of functioning.”
Cognitive Behavior Therapy hereinafter referred to as (CBT) combines two very
effective kinds of psychotherapy -cognitive therapy and behavior therapy.
The concept of CBT was pioneered by psychologists Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis in the
1960s. “Cognitive Therapy assumes that maladaptive behaviors and disturbed mood or
emotions are the result of inappropriate or irrational thinking patterns, called automatic
thoughts. Instead of reacting to the reality of a situation, an individual reacts to his or her
own distorted viewpoint of the situation.”
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy used in the
treatment of adults and children with depression. Its focus is on current issues and
symptoms versus more traditional forms of therapy which tend to focus on a person's past
history. The usual format is weekly therapy sessions coupled with daily practice exercises
designed to help the patient apply CBT skills in their home environment.
Behavior Therapy incorporates and applies a variety of techniques which aim to solve
problems by bringing measurable and observable change to the client’s behavior, altering
behavior patterns in specific areas which are currently dysfunctional.
The treatment is modified to meet the individual needs of the prospective patient.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, offers several other diverse approaches,
which include Rational Emotive, Rational Behavior Therapy, Rational Living Therapy,
Cognitive Therapy, and Dialectic Behavior Therapy, but for the purpose of this paper
our emphasis will concentrate on the principle concepts of each theory (pro /
con), key figures involved, and any opposing or unsubstantiated viewpoints.
Thesis: Systemic institutional racism has plagued American society for several
centuries, and the burden of its affect has been the Achilles heel and relevant causal
factor for the polarization of the races. Racism is a leading contributor to depression
among ethnic groups, and more imparticular black Americans.
The legal definition for systemic institutionalized racism i.e. discrimination is noted as
being “ A failure to treat all persons equally where no reasonable distinction can be found
between those favored and those not favored”.
With this in mind, the writer alleges that the affectation of racism is a primary causal
factor that is linked to the emotional duress, depression, and high rate of suicide among
African Americans and other darker complexioned minority groups.
CAUSAL LINKS BETWEEN RACISM & DEPRESSION
It is a fact that history, biology, sociology, religion, and the judicial system all
gave into and supported the constitutionality of racism, treating blacks or ethnic
minorities indifferently to whites, and these in differential actions subsequently polarized
the human populous to this date.
American history has archived the sins and historical facts of slavery, lynchings,
miscegenation, being forced to drink and eat at segregated lunch counters that were
separate and unequal, while the majority white population retained a culture of privilege.
The Constitution endorsed the in differential treatment of minority Americans which
caused suffrage due to the inhumane, indignities of discrimination, which summarily
classified black Americans as second class citizens.
The impact of the civil rights movement 40 years past still resonates into the
new millennium, as race conscious laws are still being enacted, (case in point Racial
Profiling Laws were instituted in 2002 to protect black motorist from over zealous and
discriminatory New Jersey State police officers, whose practice was to stop and
intimidate black motorists).
There is a controversial theory inculcated in the Declaration of Independence that
“All men are created equal” but the attitudes of the Founding Fathers have not
confirmed this, so the resulting thesis is subversive.
The Constitution for the United States of America written by one of our Founding
Father’s and richest slave holders, Thomas Jefferson, stated that “All men are created
equal” but what Jefferson seemed to really meant was that all white men of property, free
of debt.
As a consequence of these complex elements compounded and compacted over centuries,
it is reasonable to infer that the black American psychosis may have been harmfully
affected by the over exposure to overt and covert forms of discrimination, maltreatment,
and racism, which appears to be a valid connection that links black
Americans to chronic stress and various longitudinal forms of depression.
Interpersonal discrimination
“Research has mainly conceptualized racism as a stressor. An individual's perception of
society as racist and the experience of everyday minor acts of discrimination are thought
to constitute a chronic stressor”.
In the USA, “interpersonal discrimination has been associated with increased rates of
hypertension, depression and stress; poorer self-rated health; and more reported days
spent unwell in bed (). In the UK, both Burke () and Fernando ()
have documented relationships between depression and life events thought to be due to
racism.”
The impact of discrimination is influenced by individual factors (such as socio-economic
status, skin color, and coping style), context (for example, where the incident happens,
the extent of integration within an area, and the history of the minority group) as well as
macro-economics, political ideologies and history ().
Longitudinally, racism produces and perpetuates socio-economic difference, and so
controlling for this in analyses may decrease a valid association.
Positive Aspects of Cognitive Behavior Therapy
The writer believes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to be the most effective therapeutic
technique for ethnic minority individuals, who are suffering from depression due to the
chronic stress of racism / discrimination because the technique incorporates two very
effective methods of psychotherapy: Cognitive Therapy deals with the patterns and
symptoms of the way one thinks, and Behavior Therapy focuses on the way one
habitually behaves given troublesome circumstances, and attempts to alter negative
behavior patterns to a more optimistic forecast. This active bi-active methodology of
therapy is distinctive from most other forms of therapy because it is based on the
essential concept that one’s thoughts influence their behavior, and as such the individual
can rationalize his thoughts through the influence and guidance of a therapist to form
productive coping mechanisms to assist in alleviating the current duress.
CBT theory and principal techniques is therefore based on the inductive method. The
inductive method encourages us to look at our thoughts as
being hypotheses that can be questioned and tested. If we find that our
hypotheses are incorrect (because we have new information), then we can
adjust our manner of thought to reflect a more conducive outcome given the corrected
circumstances.
The writer employs the concept that CBT is a collaborative effort between the therapist
and the client, and the Cognitive –behavioral therapist role is to listen, teach, encourage
and provide positive reinforcement, while the client’s roles is to speak, learn, and
implement what they learn. Unlike some other forms of therapy CBT is
specifically structured to pinpoint the client’s specific deficiencies, and because of
the educational emphasis, its leads to long term positive results. When people
understand who they are, what they are to themselves, as individuals, and why,
then a better realization of self is actualized.
The writer has not encountered any negative aspects of Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy, but believes the CBT techniques are not geared for individuals, who are
less inclined to take an active participatory role in their recovery process, and
require more case management assessment.
Conclusion
Mental health research conducted in the U.K. has linked discrimination to depression and
mental illness in minority communities, and recent cross-sectional scientific research
provides strong evidence of an association between perceived racial discrimination,
psychosis and depression in ethnic minority groups.
The writer has first hand knowledge and experience with the affects of chronic
institutional racism, depression, as he is a member of the minority class in America, and
is currently defending his civil and due process rights in the New York District Court for
unlawful employment discrimination.
CBT was the method by which the writer was exposed to in-order to regain his
equilibrium, and direction in life. CBT was beneficial because it allowed the writer to
recognize that anger only clouds the issues that one is attempting to resolve, and in order
to grapple with duress there must be a calming resolve of mind, so focus can be
obtained and maintained.
The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics affirms the writer’s central premise that chronic
institutionalized racism is a growing cause for psychosis of the black American and other
ethnic minorities, and as such this affectation maximizes the relevant material causations
for depression, mental illness, inferiority complexes and high rates of suicide in the black
minority community at large regardless of income or social status.
The theoretical issue now is how is this complex and uncontrollable beast that is linked
through racism, and causes depression for minorities brought under control.
The writer will employ the concept of logic, positive reinforcement, the scrutiny
of intellect, and the spiritual point of view and endeavor to provide some of the missing
insights supported in the underlying premise that discrimination causes depression.
When this area is applied to the physical and intellectual it provides reason and organic
Depth to our sense of rational.
A deeper understanding of self can be gained through the spiritual, and the spiritual can
and does reduce stress enough that our children can be taught or encouraged to bring their
minds as the internal software of intuition on line and to be more facile in its use.
Thereafter, any and all assumptions of inferiority will be lost and a new day may dawn
for our world that we call EARTH.
REFERENCES
- Chakrabort, A., McKenzie, K (2001)Does racial discrimination cause mental illness. British Journal of Psychiatry.
- Kruger, J., Dunning, D (1999) How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self assessments. American Psychological Association.
.
